Markets open in the green; Railway Budget eyed

Markets opened the day in the green tracking global cues which were better, after reports that US retail sales were the highest in five months. The BSE Sensex was trading higher 186 points at 17,999 points, while the NSE Nifty was trading at 5482.00 points, up 52.50 points at 9.25 am IST.

Shares of IT major Wipro continued to drag for the second day in succession as the auction for shares by Azim Premji Trust is slated for today. Shares of Wipro were trading at Rs 428.60, down by Rs 2.35.

Among the early gainers were Sesa Goa, IDFC, Sterlite and Larsen and Toubro. All eyes are now focused on the Railway Budget which is expected to be presented later today by Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi.

Any populist move will be taken badly by the markets as the finances of the Railways are precarious.